Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers

These guidelines reflect the variations that exist in different settings and incorporate the latest and most effective ways to reduce the risk of violence in the workplace. Workplace setting determines not only the types of hazards that exist, but also the measures that will be available and appropriate to reduce or eliminate workplace violence hazards.

For the purpose of these guidelines, we have identified five different settings:

Hospital settings represent large institutional medical facilities;
Residential Treatment settings include institutional facilities such as nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities;
Non-residential Treatment/Service settings include small neighborhood clinics and mental health centers;
Community Care settings include community-based residential facilities and group homes; and
Field work settings include home healthcare workers or social workers who make home visits.